Dralnarath
Dralnarath is a high elf death knight, formerly champion of the lich Deathchill but now defected to the Ebon Blade. While he clearly has no love for the Alliance or Horde, it is evident the elf will do much to ensure his own survival and longevity. Appearance 'Pre-conversion' Prior to becoming a death knight, Dralnarath was a pale-skinned elven male of below average height. By elven standards he was stocky and strongly build, albeit still thinner than most human soldiers. His jaw was square and thick, generally sporting a well-groomed goatee on his chin. He had the typical arcane blue eyes of any high elf, and the same long ears. Dralnarath's black hair went down to his shoulders, usually worn loose and hastily combed. In his swordsmen days, Dralnarath generally wore armor, flaunting his status as a warrior. His elven-forged plate covered his hands, chest, and shoulders in heavy plate, though the rest of his body, especially his joints, was lightly armored with chainmail and leather padding, catering to Dralnarath's fighting style. A blue, gold-trimmed cape was generally attached to his shoulders, his cuirass covered by cloth tabard with an elven sigil on it. 'Death Knight' At the start of his service to Deathchill, Dralnarath still retained much of his old appearance. His skin grew paler, though not unnatural, and his eyes assumed an icy runic glow. The original set of armor provided to Dralnarath was heavy, dark-forged steel, colored in varying shades of black, purple, and blue. As time went on, however, the potent unholy energies that Dralnarath was exposed to changed him. His skin degraded to a deathly gray, the veins on his body visible and colored a sickly purple. The features on his face grew heavier, the elf looking like he hadn't slept in months. Dralnarath did not decay, his body keeping the same stocky frame. Eventually Dralnarath's old armor was replaced with a black and blue saronite warplate, thicker but nevertheless light due to saronite's unique traits. Dralnarath stopped tending to his hair, which is usually messy and brushed aside to avoid getting in his eyes. Backstory 'Early Life' Dralnarath was born two thousand years after the Troll Wars, to the Tabraths, a minor aristocratic family with ties to Dalaran. Dralnarath grew up well: his youth was spent being tutored by learned mages and dining on fine steaks and wine. Studying various things the Tabraths considered important -- human and elven law and culture, magic theory, and other such things -- Dralnarath was praised by his mentors and elders for his success, showing a good natural intution and knowledge retainment. However, underneath, Dralnarath did not have much interest in these things. Despite his success he was a distant and aloof child, doing as he was told but never eagerly. He rarely sought the attention or affection of his family or other children, spending most of his free time absentmindedly wandering the family estate: sometimes going places he shouldn't go, or taking things that did not belong to him. Dralnarath was rarely punished by his parents due to the excellence he displayed in his studies, assuming it to be innocent mistakes of a child. Reaching adolosence, it was expected of Dralnarath to become a mage and join his family in their various businesses in Dalaran. His father was a member of the Kirin Tor, using his magical talent to profit from tasks such as enchantment, scrying, and whatever else could be bartered to the people of the mage city. Dralnarath was expected to follow his siblings in this, though he did not. Due to a lack of willpower, desire, or perhaps a poor inate magical connection, Dralnarath showed poor aptitude to become a mage, severely disappointing his father. Offering his son a chance to redeem himself, Dralnarath's father ordered him to extend the Tabrath business into Lordaeron, pebbling magical goods to the humans there. Having little choice and not wanting to be disowned, Dralnarath ventured to Lordaeron with a handful of Tabrath servants and a few mages associated with the family. He held a strong bitterness towards his father for this, but hid it, the young elf proving to be a good liar. 'Stratholme' Dralnarath settled in the human city of Stratholme, deemed a good trading location due to its size and port. Purchasing a warehouse and storefront with family funds, he went to his task, setting up a shop offering magical trinkets and minor enchantment services. Caring little for humans and disregarding them as simple, Dralnarath did not take an active role in the business, efficiently managing stock and coin but rarely interacting with patrons. The novelty of an elven shop brought in a good bit of short-term customers, though Dralnarath's mages were not quite skilled enough to bring in long-term buyers. Years passed and Dralnarath heard little from the Tabrath patriarchs, who seemed content to brush him aside and earn some coin from his efforts. As he realized he had free reign over his actions, Dralnarath began to pursue his own ambitions. He looked down on human society with disdain; how the poor lived in filth and toiled for survival, how they grew old and withered before they could gain the wisdom or knowledge of a decades-old high elf, and other things Dralnarath saw as weaknesses, such as overindulgence and crime. Though one thing about the humans did greatly interest Dralnarath, something he was rarely exposed to in his youth. Humans were far more violent and brutal than elves, their guards clad in rough metal armor rather than fine silks and chain, their streets far more prone to running with blood, and their lords far more likely to solve a dispute with blades rather than a conversation over wine. It became clear that he had a morbid, unnatural fascination with death and the acts preceding it. Basic swordplay training was the most he had known prior to this; thus he decided to purchase a set of armor and blades and find a human who could teach him to wield them. Swordsman Dralnarath was as dedicated to his instruction as he was his studies in his childhood. His natural elven reflexes and drive to learn led to him excelling in his swordplay, and it was not before long that he decided to put it to use. He took up mercenary work, hunting bandits and other delinquents for the local Stratholme authorities, moreso for his own pleasure than coin. Indeed, Dralnarath proved to be a capable fighter: not because of a convinction to win and a brave heart, but rather sadism and a drive to take what he wanted. The bandits that Dralnarath fought were hardly a threat, mostly poorly armed and fed humans who had even less knowledge in swordplay than the fledgling elf. Though Dralnarath did not realize this at the time, thinking himself a great warrior. The wages of mercenary work and the low income of the Tabrath shop could not sate Dralnarath for long. No longer caring for his family's approval, Dralnarath left Stratholme, leaving the shop in the hands of the apprentice mages there. He set sail for Silvermoon, buying passage on a trading ship. Category:Back story Category:High Elf Category:Death Knight